1837.] on the Columns of Delhi, Allahabad, Betiah, 8{C. 605 



- 



Thus spake king Devanampiya Piyadasi : — Let the priests deeply 

 versed in the faith (or let my doctrines ? ) penetrate among the multi- 

 tudes of the rich capable of granting favors, and let them penetrate alike 

 among all the unbelievers whether of ascetics, or of householders : and 

 let them penetrate into the assemblies (?) for my sake. Moreover let 

 them for my sake find their way among the brahmans and the most 

 destitute : and among those who have abandoned domestic life, for my 

 sake let them penetrate ; and among various unbelievers for my sake 



pdsandesu picha viydpatd ; se sanghathasi pi me kate, ime viydpatd hahantiti : hemeea 

 bdbhayiesu 21 ajivikesu pi me kate, 



5. ime viyapatd hohantiti ; nigathesu 22 pi me kate, ime viyapatd hohantiti : ndnd- 

 pdsandesu pi me kate, ime viydpatd hohantiti : pativisitha pativisitham 23 tesu tesu te te 

 mahdmdtd dharnmd mahdmdtd cha me, etesu cheva viydpatd, savesu cha anesu pdsandesu. 

 Devdnam piye Piyadasi Ibja hevam dhd 



more intelligible if rendered tenets or doctrines, in lieu of teachers. (See prelimi- 

 nary remarks.) 



Should sanghatbe a right reading, it gives us the aspirated g [^ which is exact- 

 ly the form that would be deduced from the more modern alphabets ; but if an h 

 l_ the sense will be the same. From the subsequent repetition of the propo- 

 sition ime vydpatd hahanti with so many nouns of person in the locative 

 case, it seems preferable to take arthesu and pdsandesu in the same sense — 

 \ which may be done by reading the former either as ^fT^fa, among the afflict- 

 Jed or frightened, or ^j^ the rich. The verb variously written papanti t 

 Ihohanti, hahanti, &c. may be -^jw^fnl rather than H^f^r! — * n tne ^J^^TO? 

 tyanluk tense — 'shall be occasionally.' ^ff here also and further on has the 

 I meaning of ' on account of. 1 



21. We have here undoubtedly the vernacular word for brahman babhanesu 

 ^ or ^I'SJ^BT ^T^lfa^r among brahma«s (those without trade) — and laity 



> (those following occupations). 



22. Nigathesu, Sanskrit fir^TT^ — those who have abandoned home, or reli- 



igion, or caste. 



23. Pativisitha pativisitham (the last m redundant. The pandit would read 

 5|f rffolTO ' do y e enter in or S° amongst'— -(or stedfastly pursue their 



I object) meaning the mahdmatds among the people — but this is inconsistent with 

 \the tete which require sifofVjr'TT SjfVjf^ 9^f[ ifa W*l "^T *T^T *?*TT: WOTT 

 UT1TT: ^*T> ' among these several parties respectively, these my several wise men 

 hnd holy men shall find their way.' The double expression throughout is pecu- 

 iar, as is the addition after the verb of qisatf ^ ^(^T TTTO"^' and amon S a11 

 t )ther classes of the Gentiles.' 



" 



